Spacing control method for running bodies operated in a tubular transport system

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to an air-column method of controlling the spacing of running bodies when running bodies, say, freight cars, are successively operated on a running path constituted longitudinally within a hollow tube. A running path is constituted longitudinally on the inside surface of a hollow tube. Single freight cars or sets of several freight cars coupled are released or driven to run on this path with an arbitrary spacing. The total area at the end section of the freight car as compared with the sectional area of this hollow tube is selected at a predetermined ratio. In this case, the inside profile of the hollow tube and the lateral and sectional profiles of the freight car are appropriately selected such that, when the flow of gas (air) between the outside surface of a running freight car and the inside wall of the hollow tube is made to change, the effective sectional area formed thereby can be secured sufficiently large enough to change the desired result. Under this arrangement, when two freight cars are running one after another at different speeds on the running path of the hollow tube, the air column enclosed between the opposing ends of said two cars and the corresponding walls of said hollow tube is compressed or expanded and with the relative speed difference reduced thereby thus eliminating the possibility of impact collision between the two cars can be eliminated.

Tlnited States Patent [191 Nogi et al.

[ SPACING CONTROL METHOD FOR RUNNING BODIES OPERATED IN A TUBULAR TRANSPORT SYSTEM [75] Inventors: Sadaharu Nogi; Toshimitsu Miyamoto; TikiO Uchida, all of Tokyo; Hiroto Yasuhara, Matsudo; Tomoaki Kudo; Ryosuke Shiki, both of Tokyo, all of Japan [73] Assignee: Japanese National Railways, Tokyo,

Japan [22] Filed: Oct. 18, 1971 [2]] Appl. No.: 189,894

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant ExaminerGeorge H. Libman Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Armstrong & Wegner [111 amas Mar. 12, 1974 [5 7] ABSTRACT The present invention relates to an air-column method of controlling the spacing of running bodies when running bodies, say, freight cars, are successively operated on a running path constituted longitudinally within a hollow tube. A running path is constituted longitudinally on the inside surface of a hollow tube. Single freight cars or sets of several freight cars coupled are released or driven to run on this path with an arbitrary spacing. The total area at the end section of the freight car as compared with the sectional area of this hollow tube is selected at a predetermined ratio. In this case, the inside profile of the hollow tube and the lateral and sectional profiles of the freight car are appropriately selected such that, when the flow of gas (air) between the outside surface of a running freight car and the inside wall of the hollow tube is made to change, the effective sectional area formed thereby can be secured sufficiently large enough to change the desired result.

Under this arrangement, when two freight cars are running one after another at different speeds on the running path of the hollow tube, the air column enclosed between the opposing ends of said two cars and the corresponding walls of said hollow tube is compressed or expanded and with the relative speed difference reduced thereby thus eliminating the possibility of impact collision between the two cars can be eliminated.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDHAR 12 mm 3796; 164

INVENTOR ATTORNEY SPACING CONTROL METHOD FOR RUNNING BODIES OPERATED IN A TUBULAR TRANSPORT SYSTEM BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an air-column method of controlling the spacing of adjacent freight cars operated in succession with an arbitrary spacing on a running path constituted longitudinally on the inside surface of a hollow tube.

A running path is constituted longitudinally on the inside surface of a hollow tube, such as, a hollow cylinder. Single freight cars or sets of several freight cars coupled are released or driven to run with an arbitrary spacing therebetween along said running path. The total area of a freight car at the vertical end section to the running direction against the sectional area of said hollow tube (sectional area ratio) is selected at a predetermined ratio. In this case, the inside profile of the hollow tube and the lateral and sectional profiles of the freight car are appropriately selected such, that, when the flow of gas (air) between the outside surface of a running freight car and the inside wall of the hollow tube is made to change, the effective area formed thereby can be secured sufficiently large enough to achieve the desired result.

Under this arrangement, when the running speed of a following one of two cars in succession is increased or the running speed of a forward-running car is decreased, and as a result the distance between the two cars tends to be narrowed, the air column enclosed between the opposing ends of the two cars and the corresponding walls of the tube will be compressed, thereby decelerating the following car and at the same time accelerating the forward-running car. Thus the relative speed difference .is reduced and the possibility of impact collision between the two cars can be eliminated.

When freight cars with different destinations are coupled together into a common freight train for a short haul of about several hundred kilometers, considerable time is taken for sorting out the cars at a yard or a terminal and as the result, a speedy delivery of freight cannot be expected. On the contrary, when a train is made up of cars with the same destination, that is, a so-called unit train is composed, the above-mentioned time loss for sorting may be eliminated but the trains going straight from one terminal to another will become so numerous that as much time will be needed for freight to accumulate to enough volume to constitute a train as for this train to run to the destination.

The best way to solve this problem and assure speedy delivery of freight will be to operate loaded cars singly or as a group to run together on a main line and separate them into branches, without coupling them in a train.

Under the proposed system, however, there arise problems of controlling individual cars and maintaining headway between cars, which is comparable with auto traffic on an expressway. The problem of controlling individual cars may be solved in various ways; a guideway method is a relatively simple solution. Meanwhile, the problem of maintaining headway between cars involves the necessity for overall consideration of the running speeds or braked degrees of forward running and following cars, therefore operation of cars without human operators would require an extremely complex automatic control equipments. If it were so arranged that a constant headway could be maintained between two cars regardless of the condition of a forward running car, the automatic control equipment might be slightly simplified, but in high speed operation the distance between the two cars would be widened and in consequence the transport capacity of the path would not be increased so much even in high-speed operation.

As the most effective means to solve this difficulty, the present tubular transport system has been proposed. in this system, say, a hollowed cylinder is laid and therein is constructed a running path; and along this path, running bodies are released or driven in succession with an arbitrary spacing. According to this system, cars can be operated one after another, as soon, as each has been unloaded; this will eliminate the above-mentioned difficulty, thereby enabling speedy delivery of freight in increased volume. But, there is one problem to be solved in this tubular transport system. That is, how to avert a ramming of one car into another when they are released in succession.

For the purpose of preventing the forward-running car, which is suddenly decelerated, from being rammed by the following car, the speed change in both cars must be detected and an apparatus which is interlocked with detection of speed must be provided. When, however, a large number of freight cars operated in succession are involved and each car needs a different rate of deceleration, an automatic device for controlling the deceleration will become so complicated that speed control in this case will be an extreme difficulty.

in view of the disadvantages of such a system, the object of the present invention is to provide a method of preventing an impact collision between two freight cars not by resorting to any special equipment but by simply utilizing, as a means of cushioning or pushing, the air column enclosed between the inside walls of the hollow tube and the opposing ends of freight cars operated in succession along the path formed within the hollow tube.

According to this invention, a running path is formed on the inside surface of, say, a hollow tube. Along this path, freight cars are operated with a certain spacing in succession. The total area of a freight car at its vertical end section to the running direction against the sectional area of the hollow tube (sectional area ratio) is selected at a predetermined ratio.

In this case, the inside profile of the hollow tube, the lateral and sectional profiles of the freight car are appropriately selected such that, when the flow of air between the outside surface of the freight car and the inside wall of the tube is changed, the effective sectional area formed thereby can be sufficiently wide.

When freight cars are successively released from a starting point with an arbitrary interval therebetween or driven torun in succession with an arbitrary interval therebetween and a relative speed difference occurs in the course of their running, namely, when the running speed of the forward-running car becomes lower than that of the following car, the air column enclosed between the opposing ends of the forward-running and the following car and the corresponding tube walls is compressed; as a result the forward-running car is accelerated, while the following car is decelerated. Thus the possiblilty of the following car ramming into the forward-running car is eliminated.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be made clear by reading the following description together with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1(a) is a front elevation view illustrating the basic composition of the present invention.

FIG. 1(b) is a front view illustrating the working principle of FIG. 1(a).

FIGS. 2(a) 2(a) illustrate examples of embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2(a) is a front view illustrating the relation between the tube and the freight car.

FIG. 2(b) is a side sectional view corresponding to FIG. 2(a).

FIG. 2(a) is an oblique view corresponding to FIG. 2(a).

Referring to FIGS. 1(a) and (b), the air-column method of controlling the spacing of freight cars according to the present invention is to be described.

In FIG. 1(a), T is, for instance, a hollow cylinder which usually has the same cross-sectional area in the longitudinal direction; 1, 2, and 3 are freight cars running separated by different spacings in the longitudinal direction along the path; and 11, 12, 13 are respectively the gaps between the roof tops of the freight cars I, 2, 3 and the corresponding inside walls of the tube T. The total area of the end of each freight car at its vertical section 445' to the running direction against the sectional area of the hollow tube (sectional area ratio) is selected at a predetermined ratio.

In this case the inside profile of the tube T and the lateral and sectional profiles of freight car are appropriately selected such that, when the flow of air between the outside surface of a running car and the corresponding inside wall of the tube T is varied, the efficient sectional area formed thereby can be sufficiently large. In this case the ratio of the area of the end of each freight car to the sectional area of the hollow tube may be small, while the running speed of the car is high; but as the freight car speed diminishes, said ratio may be closer to unity.

In the same figure 8, 9, 10 are respectively the air columns formed at the ends of opposing cars at sections 4 5 and 5 6 and on the left side to the end 4 of the car 1.

Under this arrangement, when all cars are running at the same speed in the arrow direction A the group of cars moves on at equal speed though individual cars in the group may be separated by different spacings. Here, suppose one of the cars l slows down with the speed of another car 2 remaining unchanged. Then car 2 will catch up with said car I and as the result, the air column 8 will be compressed from the original pressure of P I to a pressure P 2.

Putting the pressure of the air column as P and the pressure of the air column 9 as P the car 1 will be pushed by the pressure difference P P while the car 2 will be braked by the pressure difference P P In this case with the air of the column 8 escaping through the gaps 11, 12, the separation between said cars I and 2 will be gradually reduced without a hazard of car 2 ramming into car I. When car 2 is thus gradually decelerated, car 3 will be still more gradually decelerated. In this manner, the freight cars following the car 3 on the right side will be similarly slowed down one after another.

The above action may, as illustrated in FIG. 1(b), be equated to the cars l, 2, 3 being coupled together by known means of air pistons P P Thus, the system illustrated in FIG. 1(a) is equivalent to all the cars operated along the path being united into a single train by a sort of invisible air-coupler; and accordingly, it is possible under this system to control the spacings between freight cars without any braking means. It is clear to anyone that the desired degree of braking in this case can be attained by approximately selecting the adjusting holes PE PE An embodiment of the present invention according to the basic composition shown in FIG. 1(a) is to be illustrated in FIGS. 2(a) 2(a) on the case of freight cars being driven by linear motors.

In FIGS. 2(a) (c), 14 is a reaction plate attached to the longitudinal midpoint of the bottom of the body of the car ll". On both sides of said reaction plate 14 and run at a definite distance therefrom are the primary windings 15 of the linear motor. In this embodiment, if necessary, each car can be driven by a known system of linear motor drive using said reaction plate 14- and said primary windings 15 of the linear motor.

However, the system of driving the freight cars to be required in this invention is not limited to the linear motor, but can be any known method such as internal combustion engine or electromagnet; and the type of driving system to be adopted is not essential to the present invention. For instance, 16 may be independent wheels installed on both sides of a freight car and said wheels 16 will be designed to run on the rails R laid on the ballast 7.

In FIGS. 2(a) 2(0) and FIGS. 1(a) (b) the same symbols denote identical elements, 1 corresponding to I", 3 to 3, meanwhile, car 2 shown in FIG. 2(a) (c), unlike the car 2 of FIG. 1(a), has end faces or end plate 5, 5 at two ends in the running direction; has no side-wall or roof excepting the part for attaching the wheel 16 and carrying the container 0 on its body. Such a construction of the car 2 will not prevent the effect of this invention from being realized utilizing the end plate 5, 5 in the same way as with the other cars I", 3".

The tubes T thus constituted are, as shown in FIG. 2(a), laid side by side as the up-bound track T and the downbound track T; and for instance, the cars 1", 2", 3 as indicated in FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are released or driven with an arbitrary spacing. Then, just in the same way as described in FIGS. 1(a) and (b), the group of said cars, even though they have difierent spacings between them, can move on at the same speed, while individual cars are running at equal speeds in the same direction. When, however, one car 1 is decelerated with the other cars running at the unchanged speed, the car 2 will overtake the car 1" and thereby the air column 8 will be compressed to a higher pressure. Thus, on account of the cushioning or pushing action of the air columns 8, 9. and It), the car 2 will be prevented from ramming into the car II" for the same reason as described above with regard to FIGS. 1(a) and (b).

As similar effect will spread successively to the freight cars running in the same direction after the car 3".

The effect of the invented method of controlling the spacings of running bodies in a tubular transport system has been verified by the inventors through various equivalent tests. The following are some of the test results. As indicated in these results, the braking effect of the air colunn is sufficiently large enough in the worst mined ratio of less than 1; driving said running bodies with an arbitrary spacing along said running path between successive running bodies in said hollow tube; wherein as the speeds of said running bodies vary, the

(B) Weight of running body (same for for- 35 tons/one running ward and following ones) body (C) Wheel resistance I kg/one running body ms1scsddls' xd snzazssmasmos;sashes? ling of spacings between running bodies operated in a tubular transport system illustrated in FIGS. 1(a) 2(c) can be effected without installation of any complex braking and its control equipment as needed in a conventional system. In the event of a forward-running car imaginable Cas f a r r un ing ng 5 air column enclosed between a surface of said running denly decelerated from the speed of 90 /h and the bodies and the inside walls of said hollow tube is comfonowing car running at the Coasting Speed of 90 km/h, pressed the relative speeds of said running bodies in being rammed into the former in the tubecontact with said air column being changed by the Test Result Original speeds of forward-running and following cars (km/h) 90 90 90 90 Number of coupled units 20 2O 20 Ratio of sectional areas between running body and hollow tube 0.9 0.95 0.975 0.95

Time from start of braking to (sec) stop of forwardrunning car 9 9 9 4.5

Original separation between (in) forward-running and following cars 75 75 75 75 Time lapse before collision of forward'running and following (sec) cars after start of braking the forward-running car 8 9 l3 7 Speed of following car just tggn'e amming kW? 7 i i 'N'otei A 1, w i

(A) Inner diameter of tube 5.5

being overtaken by the following car, there is no hazard 40 laid inside; allowing air in the tube, selecting the total silos of each running body at its end section relative to the sectional area of said hollow tube at a predetercompressed air column to control the spacings between 7 said running bodies.

2. A spacing control method for controlling running bodies according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the total area of a running body at its end section and the sectional area of the hollow tube are so selected relatively that when the flow air between the outside surface of the running body and the inside wall of the tube is changed by a reduction in the distance between successive running bodies, the air column between the running body and a following running body is compressed.

3. A spacing control method for controlling running bodies according to claim 2, wherein the ratio of the total area of the running body at its end section and the sectional area of the tube is between 0.9 0.975.

* l =l l 

1. A spacing control method for running bodies operated in a tubular transport system, comprising selecting a hollow tube with a longitudinal running path being laid inside; allowing air in the tube, selecting the total area of each running body at its end section relative to the sectional area of said hollow tube at a predetermined ratio of less than 1; driving said running bodies with an arbitrary spacing along said running path between successive running bodies in said hollow tube; wherein as the speeds of said running bodies vary, the air column enclosed between a surface of said running bodies and the inside walls of said hollow tube is compressed the relative speeds of said running bodies in contact with said air column being changed by the compressed air column to control the spacings between said running bodies.
 2. A spacing control method for controlling running bodies according to claim 1, wherein the ratio of the total area of a running body at its end section and the sectional area of the hollow tube are so selected relatively that when the flow air between the outside surface of the running body and the inside wall of the tube is changed by a reduction in the distance between successive running bodies, the air column between the running body and a following running body is compressed.
 3. A spacing control method for controlling running bodies according to claim 2, wherein the ratio of the total area of the running body at its end section and the sectional area of the tube is between 0.9 - 0.975. 